News

Critical Mass–Critical Response

Posted February 12th, 2014

Marilyn Stasio in the New York Times says, “There are plenty of women among…genre writers, but not many like Sara Paretsky…Critical Mass hits a nerve with its historical back story about a Viennese physicist, “a great scientist who had a gender handicap.”

Steve Bertrand talks to Sara Paretsky about Critical Mass and Chicago on WGN Radio

And the Washington Post says, “Paretsky at her best, describing with a reporter’s eye and a painter’s vision the light and texture of a place. A scene that throbs with menace concludes with a shock.”

Critical Mass–Critical Response

Posted February 12th, 2014

Marilyn Stasio in the New York Times says, “There are plenty of women among…genre writers, but not many like Sara Paretsky…Critical Mass hits a nerve with its historical back story about a Viennese physicist, “a great scientist who had a gender handicap.”

Steve Bertrand talks to Sara Paretsky about Critical Mass and Chicago on WGN Radio

And the Washington Post says, “Paretsky at her best, describing with a reporter’s eye and a painter’s vision the light and texture of a place. A scene that throbs with menace concludes with a shock.”

Critical Mass On Sale October 22

Posted March 14th, 2013

V.I. Warshawski’s newest adventure uncovers secrets buried in the rubble of World War II. A particle physicist, V.I.’s beloved friend Lotty Herschel, and meth labs of rural Illinois all come together to form a Critical Mass of crime, intrigue, and passion. Published by G.P. Putnam’s. On sale everywhere on October 22nd. Pre-order here. Booklist’s starred review says:

“As in previous V.I. mysteries, Paretsky works elements of Chicago history into the story, this time referencing the city as a nexus for atomic research and linking the science of the work conducted in Austria during the Nazi occupation… Vic is at her stubborn, reckless, compassionate best in this complicated page-turner about selfish secrets passed down through generations…Paretsky has been on a roll lately, her long-running, trailblazing series at its most dynamic since the early days.”

Breakdown Contest

Posted December 13th, 2011

Sara’s hosting a contest on facebook page to celebrate the release of Breakdown. To enter, fill out the multiple choice questions about Breakdown, Body Work, and the other books you can read right here on the site. Grand Prize is a walk on role in V I’s next adventure!

Watch Sara on Hardcover Mysteries

Posted September 20th, 2010

Some of the greatest crime authors around—including Sara—share the truth behind their stories. Catch Hardcover Mysteries—an all new series, premiering Monday, October 11th at 9PM on Investigation Discovery.

VI Warshawski’s Chicago

Publishers Weekly gives Body Work a Star

Posted July 26th, 2010

Body WorkSara Paretsky, Putnam, $26.95 (432p) ISBN 978-0-399-15674-8
Paretsky’s superb 14th novel featuring PI V.I. Warshawski (after Hardball) delves into Chicago’s avant-garde art scene. At the trendy Club Gouge, where Warshawski is keeping an eye on Petra, a young cousin who caused trouble in the previous book, performance artist Karen Buckley (aka the Body Artist) invites members of the audience to step on stage to paint her nude body. The intricate design that one woman paints on Karen’s back provokes a violent outburst from Chad Vishneski, a troubled Iraqi war veteran. When two nights later, someone shoots the woman who upset Chad outside the club, Chad is the logical murder suspect. Hired by Chad’s estranged parents to clear his name, Warshawski straddles a minefield that reaches from the Windy City’s neighborhoods to the Gulf War battlefields. Scenes with her aging neighbor and a new love interest give a much needed balance to the serious plot. This strong outing shows why the tough, fiercely independent, dog-loving private detective continues to survive. (Sept.)

Hardball-Coming July 31 in Paperback

Posted May 24th, 2010

Hardball, which was one of 2009’s five “most mesmerizing mysteries,” according to National Public Radio, will be out in paper on July 31.

Hardball

Posted August 10th, 2009

“Sara Paretsky is tough,” writes Marilyn Stasio in the New York Times, “not because she observes the bone-breaker conventions of the private eye genre, but because she doesn’t flinch from examining injustices others find too painful to dig up….Voices like these can ring in your ears for 40 years and more.”

And the Chicago Tribune cries, “Welcome Back, Warshawski,” in a long feature by Pulitzer-prize winner Julia Keller.

The New York Post takes advantage of Hardball’s publication to look at some of the books that Sara Paretsky most cherishes in her personal library.